Scientists were surprised to find that about half of the body’s dopamine is manufactured in the gut

and that about 95% of its serotonin is stored there. These feel-good chemicals are associated with
pleasure and reward in the brain and regulate sleep, appetite and body temperature.

It appears, therefore, that the gut must have some influence on mood, although to quite what
degree remains uncertain. However, we can safely blame gut-to-brain signals for fatty food
making us feel good.

Is this second brain, with its neurons and use of more than 30 neurotransmitters, most of which
are identical to the ones found in the brain, along with its ability to articulate our anxiety with
butterflies in the stomach, in any way conscious? Not as far as we know. That subtle feeling in the
gut is actually caused by reduced blood flow triggered by the brain’s fight or flight mechanism
rather than an independent or simultaneous reaction to stimulus. Your gut is not about to get a
job as a high-frequency trader or compose a symphony.

But what about expressions like “acting on gut instinct” or “gut feeling” which describe those rapid
visceral decisions we make that are not logical or rationally thought through? Could there be links
between the gut and brain that we don’t understand?

Scientist admit they still don’t understand much about these links, but it seems logical that gut and
brain should be linked in complex and intimate ways given the crucial importance of a healthy gut
for optimal brain function. And it may be that an intimate connection carries risk. It appears that
the gut may be implicated in Parkinson’s disease, where the loss of dopamine in the brain’s
neurons also occurs in the gut. Some scientists suspect the disease is triggered by a virus entering
the gut which is spread to the brain via the vagus nerve. Furthermore, the tangled-neurons
characteristic in the brain of Alzheimer’s sufferers is mirrored in the gut. Intriguingly, people with
autism are particularly susceptible to gastrointestinal problems.

While the role of the ENS is still something of a mystery, it seems safe to suggest that it’s more
complicated than it needs to be to handle only digestion and pathogens. In the near future our
second brain may well be regarded as an integral part of treating and maintaining the health of
the brain on top of our shoulders.
Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport that is all about food. Success in the sport
requires efficiency, which is a combination of capacity — eating a lot of food — and
speed-eating it fast. Contests are typically eight to 10 minutes long, with the person
consuming the most food declared the winner. Current professional eating contests can
offer $10,000 or more in prize money.

Traditionally, eating contests (usually involving children eating pies) were county fair
events. The recent rise in popularity of competitive eating is largely due to the growth over
almost 100 years of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, an annual Independence Day
tradition at Coney Island, New York. The event generates enormous media attention and
has been aired on major sports channels. Many commentators believe the Nathan’s contest
has had a direct impact on the development of competitive eating as a sport. Surprisingly,
restaurant hosts don’t always make a lot of money on contest days, as contestants tend to
eat more food than their entry fee would purchase. Money is only part of the reason that
contests primarily use fast food, though. “Restaurants would go out of business with a steak
eating contest,” says Peter “Wingman” McDermott, prize-winning speed eater. “Hot dogs
and wings are familiar and don’t break the bank.”

But what is it that motivates contestants like Peter to eat those hot dogs and wings? “A lot
of speed eaters I know were never big athletes in high school and are just looking for a
really fast way to get on TV. I started out that way,” he said. “But now I definitely make
sure to stay healthy. This isn’t something an unhealthy person wants to start doing.”
McDermott appreciates that he can have a life outside his “sport,” as “the competition is
over almost as soon as it started. Eaters can compete and still have most of their day left.”

Speed eating is increasingly regulated by the kinds of organizations familiar in much bigger
sports, like football and hockey. The International Federation of Competitive Eating
(IFOCE) hosts more than 100 "Major League Eating" (MLE) events worldwide each year
and first established eating as a sport in the 1990s. IFOCE licenses MLE t-shirts and other
products and features the most current videos of contests and competitors. IFOCE is also
the only organization with extensive safety regulations for events. A smaller organized
league, the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters (AICE), established by
competitive eater Arnie "Chowhound" Chapman, also holds contests. Chapman was a
former IFOCE member who left to form an independent league after disputes over IFOCE
contracts.

Which ONE of the following is the main purpose of this passage?

To encourage people to consider becoming competitive eaters

To describe how competitive eating affects contestants’ health

To explain some aspects of competitive eating contests

To share techniques that different competitive eaters use to train

To persuade more restaurants to get involved with the sport of competitive eating

2 of 8

Which TWO reasons does the passage give for the growing popularity of competitive
eating competitions?

The increase in the size of the prizes

The increased money spent on competitions

The holiday tradition of the first famous competition

The exposure from big-name TV sports channels

The cooperation of more and more famous restaurants

3 of 8

According to the passage, what are the TWO main reasons that people become competitive
eating contestants?

They like the way competitions fit into their regular schedule.

They want a fast way to become well-known.

They get to enjoy free food every time they compete.

They like the history of county fair eating competitions.

They want to make a living from sports participation.

4 of 8

Which TWO of the following statements are true about speed eating, according to the
passage?

It officially started in New York.

Speed eating has been a sport since the 1970s.

Speed eating has become as mainstream as other sports.

Its competitors can win large amounts of prize money.

Its competitions are held globally.

5 of 8

The quotations from Peter McDermott suggest that he values which TWO of the following
in his career as a competitive eater?

His record of wins

His prize money total

His healthy habits

His opportunities to travel

His free time

6 of 8

The passage suggests that which two of the following statements are true about restaurants
involved in competitive eating contests?

They make a lot of money during the contest.

They invest a substantial amount of money in sponsoring the contests.

They want to showcase their particular menu choices.

They want to increase public awareness of their brand name.

They must be approved by an international sports organization.

7 of 8

According to the passage, which TWO of the following statements are true of IFOCE?

It was started by Arnie Chapman.

It supports the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

It collaborates with the AICE.

It regulates the welfare of all participants in events.

It sponsors the majority of competitive eating events each year.

8 of 8

According to the passage, fast foods are most likely to be used in eating competitions for
which of the following TWO reasons?

They are cheaper for restaurants to buy in bulk.

They are the traditional foods from the earliest days of competitive eating.

They are much faster to eat than other foods.

They are popular with lots of people.

They are the only foods approved by the IFOCE.

You will read an article about physical sensations and emotions. Answer the questions
based on what you have read.

You know that nervous feeling in your stomach before an exam or a big game, the so-called
butterflies that you get before asking someone out on a date or handing over your hard-
earned cash for a new car? It’s as if your stomach is feeling your agitated state of mind.
Well, in a sense it is. The reason you are feeling those sensations is because of the entropic
nervous system (ENS) embedded in the wall of your gut. It consists of approximately 500
million neurons – about as many as in the brain of a cat – and is around nine meters long
when unravelled. The ENS has been dubbed the “second brain” and is connected to the
brain in your skull by the vagus nerve.

The ENS has to be complicated because digestion is complicated. Food has to be mixed in
the gut, biochemical levels have to be maintained to allow digestive enzymes to function
and food has to be moved along through the intestine. The “first brain” has no role in this.

The ENS also has to deal with invasions by bacteria and viruses. When the gut is invaded
by pathogens, it releases histamines, which trigger vomiting and or diarrhea. When the
brain in the head is alerted it may decide to consciously instigate vomiting.

Both brains can work autonomously, as has been demonstrated by individuals who have
had their vagus nerves severed in accidents, but recent research has shown that the brain
and gut influence each other, and that 90% of the information running along the vagus
nerve is directed from gut to brain.

Scientists were surprised to find that about half of the body’s dopamine is manufactured in
the gut and that about 95% of its serotonin is stored there. These feel-good chemicals are
associated with pleasure and reward in the brain and regulate sleep, appetite and body
temperature.

It appears, therefore, that the gut must have some influence on mood, although to quite
what degree remains uncertain. However, we can safely blame gut-to-brain signals for fatty
food making us feel good.

Is this second brain, with its neurons and use of more than 30 neurotransmitters, most of
which are identical to the ones found in the brain, along with its ability to articulate our
anxiety with butterflies in the stomach, in any way conscious? Not as far as we know. That
subtle feeling in the gut is actually caused by reduced blood flow triggered by the brain’s
fight or flight mechanism rather than an independent or simultaneous reaction to stimulus.
Your gut is not about to get a job as a high-frequency trader or compose a symphony.

But what about expressions like “acting on gut instinct” or “gut feeling” which describe
those rapid visceral decisions we make that are not logical or rationally thought through?
Could there be links between the gut and brain that we don’t understand?

Scientist admit they still don’t understand much about these links, but it seems logical that
gut and brain should be linked in complex and intimate ways given the crucial importance
of a healthy gut for optimal brain function. And it may be that an intimate connection
carries risk. It appears that the gut may be implicated in Parkinson’s disease, where the loss
of dopamine in the brain’s neurons also occurs in the gut. Some scientists suspect the
disease is triggered by a virus entering the gut which is spread to the brain via the vagus
nerve. Furthermore, the tangled-neurons characteristic in the brain of Alzheimer’s sufferers
is mirrored in the gut. Intriguingly, people with autism are particularly susceptible to
gastrointestinal problems.
While the role of the ENS is still something of a mystery, it seems safe to suggest that it’s
more complicated than it needs to be to handle only digestion and pathogens. In the near
future our second brain may well be regarded as an integral part of treating and maintaining
the health of the brain on top of our shoulders.

1 of 8

Which ONE of the following best describes the main purpose of this passage?

To describe the limits of scientific knowledge on the ENS

To suggest that the gut is the entry point for degenerative brain disease

To reinforce the importance of a healthy diet for overall heath

To demonstrate the intricacy of the ENS

To explore the complex relationship between the ENS and brain

2 of 8

According to the article, which TWO of the following are true of the ENS?

It evolved in vertebrates before the brain.

It produces the body’s dopamine.

It uses more than 30 neurotransmitters.

It can operate independently of the brain.

It can repair neural damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

It has fewer neurons than the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.

3 of 8

The writer suggests that the ENS must be complex in order to perform which TWO
functions?

To manage the biochemical and muscular aspects of digestion

To provide a secondary judgement system in times of stress

To supply a second generation of neurotransmitters

To encourage the brain to consume foods high in fat content

To assist the brain in the function of the fight or flight mechanism

To deal with the entry of pathogens into the stomach

4 of 8

According to the article, which TWO of the following facts are true of the vagus nerve?

It is the pathway for the transfer of dopamine.

It transmits a one-way flow of signals.

Most of its signals flow from gut to brain.

It transfers brain disease to neurons in the gut.

It is approximately nine meters long.

It is not essential for gut function.

5 of 8

The writer suggests that which TWO of the following may help to explain how the gut is
involved in perceptions of emotions?

It manages the disposal of excess neurotransmitters.

It stores most of the body’s serotonin.

It amplifies the brain’s anxiety signals in times of stress.

It contains thousands of neurons.

It contains high levels of dopamine.

It is the center for fast and non-rational decision-making.

6 of 8

Which TWO of the following confirm a close connection between the ENS and the brain?

The ENS contains a huge number of neurons.

The ENS has the ability to react independently of direct stimulus.

The ENS has to manage complicated biochemical and muscular functions.

The ENS contains most of the neurotransmitters found in the brain.

The ENS creates physical sensations in response to signals from the brain.

The ENS has to adapt to fight aggressive pathogens which enter the body through food.

7 of 8

The writer mentions which TWO possibilities concerning Parkinson’s disease?

The disease may enter the gut and proceed to the brain.

Effects can be mitigated by the severance of the vagus nerve.

Characteristic loss of dopamine in the brain also occurs in the gut.

It is prevalent in countries where fast-food is popular.

Low dopamine levels in the brain are compensated for by the gut.

Characteristic neuron tangles are evident in both brain and gut.

8 of 8

The writer mentions autism for which TWO of the following reasons?

To suggest that people with autism have higher exposure to contaminated food.

To support the hypothesis that there is a connection between gastroenteritis and autism.

To demonstrate the effects of the removal of degenerated neurons from the brain via the
vagus nerve.

To show what happens when the ENS overproduces histamine in people with autism.

To argue that severing the vagus nerve could remove some symptoms of autism.

To provide an example of the close and complex relationship between the ENS and the
brain.
papapapa